However, when he went for minor operation, doctors found out the grave state of his hand and the diagnostics revealed the southpaw has to wait at least three weeks before a bone operation, and that means he will be out of any sort of competitive cricket for at least three months.

"The moment I arrived in the hospital, the doctors told me that I have to get the pus out as soon as possible," Shakib said to media.

"Any delay would put me in great danger as the infection spread till my wrist. If I had waited another few days, my wrist would have become disabled.

"I feel better after they took out the pus, but the problem is until the infection isn't gone, there isn't going to be a surgery on my injured finger. It will take another two-three weeks to fix. After surgery I will need eight weeks, which means I am out for three months,” he added.

Shakib’s infection has most probably started from around the base of his little finger and he showed that to Bangladesh’s physio Thihan Chandramohan during the Asia Cup.

The physio sent Shakib’s X-ray and scan reports regularly to doctors in Australia and England and one of them suggested that there could be an infection.

Forcing @BCBtigers all-rounder @Sah75official towards a critical stage with his injured finger by playing him in the Asia Cup, instead of letting him have surgery to repair it, has caused an outrage among the cricketing fraternity of the countryhttps://t.co/zSBouaL8qd#BCB#ACC

As he felt excruciating pain, the all-rounder underwent another scan Monday in Dubai and its report forced him to stay away from playing cricket.

The No 1 all-rounder of the world thought the physio should have comprehended his situation but he was not blaming him.

"I have been in this state for the last 14-15 days. The doctor immediately understood what had happened, but our physio couldn't find out. It is true that the physio couldn't detect the problem. There was a bit of mistake so he has to take some of the responsibility. But I won't blame him fully. Nobody knew that it would become infected," he said.

Shakib also informed that the BCB president Nazmul Hasan had asked him to take part in the Asia Cup but he gave the nod only after getting a green signal from the physio.

"The BCB president asked if I could play the Asia Cup or I will go for the surgery. He told me to take the decision. When I asked the physio about what damage it may have, he told me it won't be that dangerous. Then I decided that since the Asia Cup is important for us, I will play four-five matches with the pain," said Shakib.

Shakib’s little finger was badly hurt as he attempted a diving catch during the ODI tri-nation series final against Sri Lanka at Mirpur Sher-e-BangNational Cricket Stadium in January this year.

With the injury, some of his tissues were damaged and he missed the Test and T20I series against the same opponent, and without the skipper, Bangladesh lost both the series.

Shakib was supposed to undergo treatment for full recovery but it was reported that at the request of the BCB supremo Nazmul, he returned to the national fold during the Nidahas Trophy in March.

It was not only physically daunting but also had psychological impact as Shakib urged his players to come off the field protesting poor umpiring in their last group stage match against the host.

The Tigers sealed the match amid chaos and bravado of Mahmudullah but lost in the last ball of the tournament’s final against India.

However, the injured Shakib did not get respite from the demanding management as he had to play the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Dehradun, India before playing a full tour, comprising two Test matches, three ODIs and as many T20Is against the West Indies in the Caribbean and the USA.

Bangladesh lost the Test series but Shakib played a vital role in clinching the other two shorter version series.

However, it took further toll on his injured finger that surely went worse with each passing day.

But the board thought call of the country must be prioritised over the dilapidated finger, despite the risk of making it dysfunctional, as the board president suggested that the No 1 ranked all-rounder may play and endure the pain in the Asia Cup, as he had been doing since January.

Unfortunately, that proved one stress too many and it remained to be seen what sort of impact it will make on the best all-rounder Bangladesh have ever produced, and on the national team as a whole.